Talk to an Oregon Bankruptcy Attorney About Your Options
If you are reading this page, there is a good chance you’ve been carrying financial stress for a long time.
Maybe you’re behind on credit cards, struggling to keep up with a car payment, worried about a garnishment, facing a lawsuit from a debt collector, or wondering whether bankruptcy is the only way out. Maybe you have spent months or years trying to hold everything together before finally looking for help.
If that sounds familiar, I want you to know two things.
First, you are not alone. Second, asking questions about bankruptcy does not mean you have failed. It means you are trying to solve a serious problem and protect your future.
I’m Alexzander Adams, a bankruptcy attorney serving clients in Oregon. I wrote this page for people who are overwhelmed by debt, unsure what to do next, and looking for straightforward answers about bankruptcy, debt relief, and their legal options. Whether you ultimately file for bankruptcy or choose another path, my goal is to help you understand where you stand and what steps may help you move forward.
Debt Problems Usually Build Over Time
Financial trouble rarely starts with a single bad decision. In most cases, it builds slowly.
Sometimes, it starts with job loss, reduced income, a medical issue, divorce, a failed business venture, or a stretch of rising expenses that becomes impossible to manage. Sometimes, it starts with credit cards that seemed manageable at first, a car loan that became too expensive, or mortgage terms that no longer fit the household budget. Sometimes it’s a combination of things that would be difficult for anyone to handle.
By the time many people contact my office, they have already tried to fix the problem on their own. They have borrowed from one account to pay another, skipped necessities to make minimum payments, drained savings, postponed medical care, worked extra hours, or lived under constant stress, hoping that things would somehow improve.
If that is where you are, this page is for you.
Bankruptcy Is Not a Moral Failure
People often come to a bankruptcy consultation feeling embarrassed, angry at themselves, or afraid of being judged. They worry that asking for help means they have done something wrong.
That is not how I see it.
Bankruptcy is a legal tool designed to help people deal with debt they can no longer realistically manage. It exists because financial hardship happens. People lose jobs. Businesses slow down. Medical problems arise. Interest rates change. Family circumstances change. Life happens.
You are not here because you have failed. You may have made mistakes, such as:
- Maybe you didn’t read the terms of a car lease agreement closely enough, and now you can’t make the payments.
- Maybe you bought into the housing boom and believed the mortgage agent when they said a variable-rate mortgage would always be affordable, or you could just refinance or sell.
- Maybe you were two days late on a low-interest credit that then raised your interest rate to 29.99% and doubled your minimum payments, because you weren’t paying enough attention to paying the bills on time.
You may also have been hit by circumstances you never saw coming, such as:
- Maybe for once in your life, you took the family to Disneyland, only to return and find you have been downsized from your job of 15 years.
- Maybe your small business, which was once booming, has fallen on hard times in this economy, and you are now looking for work.
- Maybe there was a loss of income in your family, making it impossible to pay the bills now.
- Maybe it can all be traced to one moment in time when a sudden medical condition started the financial strain.
- Or maybe the COVID pandemic just plain kicked your butt.
In either case, the most important question now is not how you got here. It’s what you can do next to protect yourself, your family, your income, and your future.
What Should You Do Right Now?
If your debt situation has left you feeling panicked, ashamed, or frozen, take a moment and set aside the self-blame.
You do not need to have everything figured out before you talk to a bankruptcy attorney. You do not need to know whether you will file Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. You do not need to know every debt you owe from memory. You do not need to be certain that bankruptcy is the right answer before you ask questions.
You only need to take the next step: get reliable information about your options. That is where I can help.
How Can a Bankruptcy Attorney Help?
A bankruptcy attorney helps you evaluate your financial situation, explain your legal options, and guide you through the process if bankruptcy makes sense for your case.
When you meet with me, we can talk through questions such as:
- Should I file for bankruptcy at all?
- Would Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 make more sense for my situation?
- Can bankruptcy stop garnishments, collection calls, repossessions, or lawsuits?
- Will I lose my home, car, tax refund, or other property?
- What debts can be discharged?
- What happens to my credit after bankruptcy?
- How quickly can I get relief?
Every case is different, but my role is to help you understand the law, the risks, the likely outcomes, and the practical steps needed to move forward.
Often, my clients’ stress and embarrassment about asking for help have prevented them from relaxing for years. But you deserve to relax a little right now as you read this, because you’ve asked for help. By reading this page, you have taken a huge step from stressing about your problems towards resolving them.
Help Is Available for You
Hopefully, you are now a little less stressed about asking for help. We can help you get through this. Pick up the phone and call us or send an email through our contact form. A bankruptcy attorney will meet with you and find a way to straighten out your situation.
It’s OK, and you’re not alone. I can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will a bankruptcy attorney do to help me?
If bankruptcy appears to be a good option, I can help you with the legal and practical work involved, including:
- Gathering and filing the necessary paperwork.
- Assessing your financial situation and total debt amount. · Dealing with creditors and ensuring they honor the automatic stay.
- Helping stop collection efforts, wage garnishments, and creditor harassment.
- Determining which property you can mark as exempt.
- Working with you and the court to assist with the details of your bankruptcy.
- Setting expectations for what happens during and after your bankruptcy.
What are some common myths about bankruptcy?
Many myths about bankruptcy might be deterring you from filing to ease your financial stress. Some of the most common myths are: you won’t be allowed to file for bankruptcy, you’ll lose all of your assets, you must file once you meet with a lawyer, bankruptcy lawyers only file bankruptcies, and you can’t afford it. Let’s bust those myths right away:
1. Myth: I won’t be allowed to file for bankruptcy.
A bankruptcy discharge cannot be denied to you (absent criminal or fraudulent conduct on your part). Bankruptcy is a Constitutional right, just like freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Unless you lie to the court or do some other fraudulent activity during your bankruptcy case, you can receive a discharge if you go through the required steps.
2. Myth: I will lose all of my assets and property in bankruptcy.
Most clients lose very few assets in bankruptcy. In Oregon, our legislature allows debtors in bankruptcy to keep a threshold amount of personal and real estate property. The system is designed to help people get back on their feet. The vast majority of my bankruptcy clients keep all of their property, including their home, their cars, and their personal property. I help clients identify which assets are at risk in bankruptcy and what to do with these assets before filing.
3. Myth: I must file for bankruptcy once I meet with a bankruptcy attorney.
You are under no obligation to file for bankruptcy when you meet with a bankruptcy attorney. Some cases take weeks to plan before filing; others can take years until the client is ready. Exploring bankruptcy is a viable option to pursue if you are in debt, even if you choose to go another route.
4. Myth: A bankruptcy attorney can only handle bankruptcies.
Often, when attorneys sit down with a potential client to review a case, issues come up that may require a pause in the bankruptcy process or lead to additional legal needs. In addition to bankruptcy concerns, clients may have concerns about other debt restructuring, home loan modification workouts, debt settlement negotiation, collections lawsuit defense and settlement, personal injury representation, and other legal needs. My office routinely handles car accident cases, criminal defense matters, student loan repayment options, and estate planning.
5. Myth: I don’t have enough money to file for bankruptcy.
If you want to pursue bankruptcy, we want to help you, and that means we’ll find a way to get it into your budget. Helping this be affordable for you is our job, not yours.
Let a Bankruptcy Attorney Help You
If you are drowning in debt or need help restructuring your finances, let our lawyers at The Law Offices of Alexzander C.J. Adams, P.C. help you sort through your options. We work for you, the people, and not institutions. Contact us for a free case evaluation or a no-obligation consultation. We are dedicated to helping you overcome this small bump in the road so you can get on with your life.
